Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-06-16
LAMPS OF THE OCEAN.
Natsre's Provisions for Lighting the Depth
of the Sea.

Natures Provisions for Lighting the Depths
Of the Sea.
When the contents of a dredoe are
hauled up from the deep sea Mt midday
the curious shapes and colors of ami
mails aIone attract attention. but if
they are examined at night they de-
velop new feature, cleaning with q
wondrous light that is little under
stood. The star fishes brought up at
certain places are all seemingly heated
to a white heat. the CLEANS running up
and down the arms. making the ami
Enal marvel of beauty. Especially
among the stars known as ophinrans Is
the light most brilliant and interesting.
Even the very young ones sparkle like
gems. A dredge has been taken from
a great depth fairly overlooking with
these dazzling creatures. telling a won-
derful story of the condition of things
below the surface. These are the
lights of the bottom. and in shoaler
water we shall find anemones and
corals emitting a wonderful light.
Perhaps the most striking light given
is a group of polyps. growing upon u
stem three or four feet in length, re-
sembling tall candlestick. The name
of this creature is the umbellularia,
and it was first found in deep water off
the coast of Greenland, the trawl bring
ing up such large numbers that it was
evident the ship had passed over
veritable forest of them. Imagine
cornfield mile or so below the sur
face, the stalks four feet long, and the
ears emitting golden greenish light
of wonderful softness; think of this as
spread over acres of surface to an in
definite extent, the lights waving here
and there in gentle undulations; imag-
inc fishes darling through them with
cleaning headlights, others outlined
in fire, while far above are great globes
of light, with soft aureolas. and some
idea of this world beneath the sea can
be formed. The seapens. to which this
curious form is allied, are nearly all
wonderfully luminous.
Some resemble short pens; others, as
are long and slender; while
others again look like plumes. One of
the latter, known to science as veretil-
lum, has been used as lamp, several
being confined in Il glass, affording
light enough to read by at distance of
twelve inches The sea-pens afford in
teresting objects to experiment with
They are fringed with polyps, and when
one of the arms is pinched the light APP
pears, gradually spreading to the other
parts in regular succession, a very few
seconds sufficing for the illumination of
the entire animal. On the Pltagonian
coast, some years ago, there was an ex-
tremely low tide, exposing a shoal COW
cred with Il variety of seapens. and 1T
night, when they all cleaned with phOs-
phOrescence, the sight is described as
the lights of an immense
army that was slowly swallowed up us
the tide came in
The jelly fishes or medusa, are among
the most remarkable of all light givers.
and, with few exceptions, they are lu-
some being more so than 9th
ers, and much of the phosphorescenceI
Of the Pacific, as seen from the decks Of
vessels, is due to these creatures-that
are so beautifully formed and so deli
cate in color, yet in reality are ninety
FIVE per cent. water in all jelly fishes
hANO Pei NShI' VIII IAAO SOhNN
part In some. as peIagia, the entire an
imai is lumiuOtIs. its shape being oub-
lined in foil, as il were; while in others
only certain portions are light emit
ting Not only are these creatures phOs-
but the colors are different;
some emit a golden light; in others it
is green or azure, and some seem to
several timts. Again. certain
ones are luminous all the time; others
show their light in a fitful way or when
disturbed, and during the Autumn OF
the year, when these radiant creatures
are hurled against the rocks and ground
up, their lights seem to combine in
turning the entire. ocean into a seetlAing
Francisco Chronicles
The Fire Fbend's Work.